Practical Solutions

If you’re on a quest to build the perfect man cave, entertainment should be your top priority. There is nothing like having the perfect home theatre set up to watch the game with your friends while having a few beers. When it comes to home theatre installation there are many things to keep in mind. One of the most overlooked aspects of many do it yourself home theatre set ups is maintaining a clean professional look.

Just because you’re designing and building your own home entertainment area doesn’t mean it can’t look like a professional job. Taking special care to conceal wires and build in areas to house your audio video components is the difference between a great looking installation and a sloppy one. Simple tools like AV wall plates can transform a messy media area into a home theatre that is sure to impress anyone.

Before you start your home theatre installation you should have a good idea of your layout. You need to know where your audio video components, how they will fit, how long your cables need to be to connect things together, and so on.  Building out from an existing wall to create a void of space to house your components and cables will ensure a clean look. This can also create a dramatic framing element for your high definition television and keep your electronics out of harm’s way.

Using AV wall plates allows you to hide cables behind walls and keep connections close to the components themselves. This means that only short cables are needed to run from the device to the wall plate. It is perfect for wall mounted TVs or satellite speakers that may be far away from the audio system.  

If you’re like many people out there, you may never think twice about your electronic devices until they stop working properly. It can be incredibly frustrating when a television, DVD player, or home theater system unexpectedly quits. That’s why we recommend periodically examining and cleaning your electronics. This preventative maintenance ensures that broken or damaged parts are identified before they result in a product’s failure.

Spring is a great time of year to clean and spot check electronics. This can easily be handled during your home’s spring cleaning, by taking a little time out to dust and clean electronics while tackling the rest of your spring cleaning chores. With a little know how anyone can learn to spot trouble signs and prolong the life of their electronics.

It’s important to check the AC power cables on your electronics for signs of wear. A frayed or broken power cord could pose a risk to your home as well as your electronic device. When cleaning an electronic device, pay close attention to any type of vent areas. If vent areas are clogged with dust or hair they can cause a device to overheat or prematurely break down.

When it comes to choosing a cleaning product many manufacturers make electronic cleaning sprays that are safe for electronic devices. You can also make your own by mixing equal parts isopropyl rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Always spray cleaners onto a soft cloth and not directly onto the device.

Do you have electronics cleaning tips of your own? Comment and share them with us!

With warmer weather on its way, this is the time of year when people begin tidying up and prepping yards and porches for outdoor fun. For some people getting a back porch ready for the spring and summer seasons involves cleaning, setting up furniture, or even putting screens into porch windows. The new trend over the last year or two has been installing flat panel HDTVs on porches or covered outdoor seating areas.

Not every HDTV is designed for outdoor use. It’s important to consider some key factors when choosing the right TV for the job. Older LCD televisions can be negatively affected by temperature changes or exposure to moisture. Newer LED LCD televisions tend to be more resilient when it comes to porch use. It should be noted that these HDTVs are still susceptible to moisture damage, so installation should be limited to four season porches that offer full coverage from the elements.

Special water resistant HDTVs are also available on the market for installations where serious humidity would otherwise damage a TV. These televisions can be installed on open porches where they are shielded from direct rain but still exposed to ambient outdoor humidity. When paired with a durable HDMI cable an HDMI port saver can help angle your cable for clean wall mounting. This can also keep the cable from breaking down over time due to strain on the plug end.

Cables are often the first thing to go bad on an electronic device. Because cables often move and bend they have a tendency to pull or break on the inside, a signal can no longer transfer through the line. This can be very frustrating and if the bad cable goes undetected it can ultimately lead to electronic devices being thrown away prematurely. That’s why Triangle Cables carries replacement AC power cords!

By replacing the AC power cord of an electronic device you can often fix the problem of what appears to be a broken device that will not power up. These cables are also perfect for buying second hand items that may be missing their original cables, such as computers, stereos or game consoles. Often items that are missing their original cables are discounted, making them a great buy if you can find replacement cables.

In addition to replacement power cords, Triangle Cables also offers power cables extensions and adaptors. These extensions and adaptors are compatible with a variety of electronic devices. So next time you have an electronic device that is not powering up, or is intermittently powering down, check your power cable for signs of wear or damage. A replacement AC power cord may be all you need to get things working again.

You may be asking yourself, “what the heck is EMI and why should I be worried about it?” That’s a good question–and exactly what we will be discussing in today’s blog post! EMI stands for ElectroMagnetic Interference, and it is a major culprit in the loss of audio visual and communications fidelity. Electromagnetic Interference is created either by electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic radiation. In both cases the EMI will have a negative effect on the performance of the circuit. It may cause signal interruption, or introduce static noise to a line. In the case of a television or audio devise this may result in audio visual static. In the case of a home network it may result in a loss of signal speed or strength. That’s why we recommend using shielded network cables for home network installations.

Using a shielded network cable offers protection against EMI. By adding in a thin layer of shielding it prevents the cables from acting like an antenna and drawing in EMI from surrounding devices. This means the signal is preserved and the communication speed is unaffected by any interference. Replacing old network cables with shielded models is a great way to ensure you home network is operating with maximum effectiveness.  Shop TriangleCables.com today to find Cat6 shielded network cables today!

Not all network problems are obvious. Sometimes the issues that cause connections to slow down or fail are hard to diagnose. This is because sometimes the culprit is not a computer or a network switch, but the cable that is connecting them. Bad cables can be the cause of network issues just as easily as bad hardware, that’s why it’s important to check cable connection strength with a LANtest Network Cable Tester. This tester allows you to connect category 5, coaxial and modular telephone cables and test their connections.

It’s too easy for a bad cable to go overlooked, especially if you may be working in an environment where there are hundreds or even thousands of cables connecting server racks together. When these cables go bad they can often lead to more serious communication issues. Using a LANtest Network Cable tester is as easy as connecting a cable. Simply connect one end of the cable to the master box and the other end to the remote box and you can instantly find out if a cable is damaged.

These tools are great for any IT department or even for a home network enthusiast. Each LANtest Network Cable Tester is a professional tool that makes maintaining a communications network a breeze. Save time and energy by quickly spotting bad cables and get your network up to speed.

As technology progresses it always seems to outgrow cables and connectors. Modern high definition televisions utilize HDMI connections to carry audio and video signal between components. This can make it difficult to connect older technologies to them such as laptop computers or game consoles. That’s where signal converters such as a VGA to HDMI converter come in handy.

A VGA to HDMI converter, like the one pictured here, allows you to connect an older analog video source, such as a PC to a high definition television. These converter boxes accommodate a VGA signal input for video and a stereo RCA input for audio. On the other side of the HDMI converter there is a single HDMI output that takes the analog audio and video inputs turns them to a digital HDMI signal that can be connected to a modern HDTV.

While the output signal will not be high definition, it will be in a digital format that the HDTV can read. This makes it possible to use a digital television as a display to show a power point presentation, a photo slide show, or anything else you may want to share on a larger display. An HDMI converter is a great utility of a business person who may have an older laptop. It is best to be prepared for any presentation situation even if technologies seem incompatible.

This is the time of year when most people make their home entertainment and business purchases. Whether you’re looking for a new Surround Sound system as a Christmas gift, a new big screen TV for your Superbowl party, or a new multifunction printer for your home office, remember to upgrade your cables. Many consumer electronics do not have cables in the box with them and those that do often have very low quality cables. That’s why Triangle Cables offers quality cables to connect any of your home electronics.

When it comes to home audio equipment, the back panel of a surround sound system can look like something out of NASA’s mission control. There are so many different connections it can be difficult to discern what cable goes where. Rest assured Triangle Cables has the correct cables to connect your audio and video sources. From composite video, to component video, to digital coaxial cables, we have it all.

Computer peripherals often do not ship with the cables needed to connect them to the computer. If you are buying a printer, scanner, or monitor this Holidayseason, be sure to check what cable it requires. That way you can ensure you have the correct cable on hand when the gift arrives. Nothing is more frustrating than giving a gift that can’t be used until something else is purchased, so don’t let your family down. Be prepared with the proper cables thisHoliday season.

HDMI cables come with a built-in limitation on length. If you exceed the length for HDMI compliance, you’ll get significant distortion or even lose the signal altogether. The HDMI extender was designed to overcome this problem. Several types are available, including a wireless extender and cat 5e Ethernet extender.

How Does the Extender Work?
With an HDMI over LAN kit, you’ll receive a receiver and transmitter capable of pushing an HDMI signal to a maximum of 400 meters. An HDMI cable carries the signal to the transmitter. A category 5e cable carries this signal to one or more receivers, which then convert the signal for delivery to the viewing device(s). The range of a dedicated network compares favorably to wireless ranges, which can’t exceed 200 feet.

Of course, a signal booster can carry wireless HDMI signals even further, but you’ll get nowhere near the distance of a HDMI over LAN kit couple with an Ethernet hub. The hub makes it possible to run audio and 1080p to a maximum of just under 800 meters. Most users won’t need this kind of length, but some situations demand it. Airports, call centers, hospitals and other applications benefit from an HDMI extender.

Whether you’re on the installation end of a digital network or performing basic maintenance, you’ll enjoy the benefits of having the right network tool kit. Some tasks are nearly impossible without the right tool for the job, such as repair of patch panel connections and loose plugs. Other tasks, like wire stripping, are made time consuming without the right tool. Network tool kits offer all the right tools for the job.

Range of Options
Tool kits come in different types based on the intended use. A professional kit of networking tools, for instance, typically includes a LAN tester, punch-down blade and impact tool, and a modular plug ratcheting crimping tool. Kits for voice and data network maintenance include a tone probe and generator, set of hex key wrenches and a network cable tester. You might also choose a simple termination kit, multi-network installation or digital SMARTprobe kit.

Kit Benefits
Network Tool Kits from TriangleCables.com are extremely beneficial. They collect all the primary tools for network specialists in one case that is easy to transport. Collecting networking tools one at a time can get expensive and you may find yourself without a necessary tool at exactly the wrong moment. Choose the appropriate network tool kit for convenience and savings.